Puzzle



PATENTED FEB. 9, 1904.

D. S. REESE.

PUZZLE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 10. 1903.

NO MODEL.

avwen l'oz wi lfneoaco UNITED STATES Patented February 9, 1904.

DANIEL SCOTT REESE, OF HAHANOY CITY, PENNSYLVANIA.

PUZZLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 751,754, dated February 9, 1904,

Application filed August 10, 1903- Serial No. 169,000. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL Soorr REEsE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mahanoy City, in the county of Schuylkill and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Puzzles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to puzzles, and contemplates an inexpensively produced device of this character constructed with the view to rendering the solution thereof exceedingly difficult of accomplishment, the solution being effected only through the exercise of very careful manipulation attended by the element of chance.

The invention in all of its details of construction and operation is set forth in the following description, in connection with which reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention in its preferred form of embodiment, it being understood that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention defined by the concluding claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a puzzle embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view showinga modification. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a horizontal section on line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the loose member of the puzzle.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, l designates a box or casing which may be of circular form, as shown, or of other form, and which has a bottom 2, side 3, and a transparent top 4. In the side 3 is a recess 5, located, preferably, centrally of the side, as shown in Fig. 3, and at said recess is a way 6, inclining upwardly from the bottom 2, and having a groove 7, leading to and coinciding at its upper end with said recess. The bottom 2 may be plain, as illustrated in Fig. 2, but preferably is provided with a shallow groove 8, coincident with the lower end of the groove 7.

Extending from the inner wall of the side 3, at a point opposite to the recess 5, is a coneshaped projection 9, through which and the side is an aperture 10 in alinement with and having the same diameter as the recess.

One or more loose members 11 may be employed. Said member has a cylindrical body 12, a blunt end 13, and a pointed opposite end 14:. Fig. 1 illustrates a puzzle the casing of which has a grooved bottom and employing a single loose member, and Fig. 2 shows a modification in which the bottom is plain and a plurality of loose members are employed.

The object of the puzzle is to discharge the loose member or members from the casing through the aperture 10. The chance of ef fecting this result by merely shaking the easing while holding it with the aperture lowermost is so remote that the manipulator is obliged to proceed in the following manner: The casing is held approximately horizontally and is manipulated to cause the loose member to assume a position parallel with the groove, after which by tilting the casing slightly the member enters the groove, care being taken to position the member to bring its pointed end in the direction of the aperture. The casing is then tilted to cause the member to enter the recess 5 by the inclined groove 7 which recess is of slightly larger diameter than the member, whereby the member is brought into alinement with the discharging aperture or opening. The casing is then quickly turned to bring the recess uppermost, and the member falls therefrom by gravity in the direction of the aperture and enters and passes through said apertureif the latter has been brought into exact vertical alinement with the recess; otherwise the member will fall to one side or the other of said aperture, as will be understood. It will be noted that the aperture is located centrally of the side and is consequently away from the bottom and top of the casing. Hence any at tempt to effect the withdrawal of the member while it rests against the bottom or top will be met with failure. The pointed end of the member being brought lowermost a better chance of working the puzzle is presented.

Obviously by dispensing with the groove 8 or by employing more than one member the puzzle is rendered more difiicult, inasmuch as two members will tend to interfere with each other and without the groove the work of seating the member in the recess is made very difiicult of accomplishment.

I claim as my invention- 1. A puzzle comprising a box or casing having a bottom, top and side, a cylindrical loose member, a recess in the side adapted to receive said member, and a discharge-aperture for the member in alinement with recess.

2. Apuzzle comprizing a box or casing having a bottom, side and a transparent top, a cylindrical loose member, a recess in the side adapted to receive said member, a cone-shaped projection extending inwardly from the side opposite to the recess, and a discharge-aperture for the member through the side and projection and in alinement with the recess.

3. A puzzle comprising a box or casing having a bottom, side and a transparent'top, a cylindrical loose member, a recess in the side adapted to receive said member, an inclined groove leading from the bottom to said recess, and a discharge-aperture for the member in alinement with the recess. 7

4:. A puzzle comprising a box or casing having a bottom, side and a transparent top, a cylindrical loose member having a pointed end, a recess in the side adapted to receive said member, a groove in the bottom, an inclined groove leading from the bottom groove to the recess, a cone-shaped projection extending inwardly from the side opposite to the recess, and a discharge-aperture for the member through the side and projection and in alinement with the recess.

In testimony whereof I afl ix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL SCOTT REESE.

Witnesses:

JOHN FREDK. BERNET, JOHN B. REEsE. 

